Parish Bulletin – June 12, 2022
UNIFICATION and what you should know – The unification team for Saint Giles and Saint Catherine – Saint Lucy met again last Saturday, June 4. We experienced our own Pentecost-like moment! During the first half of the meeting, members shared and discussed the OAK PARK COMMUNITY DISCERNMENT and SUMMARY document that was the fruit of the Renew My Church (RMC) process. This is the document that was presented to the Archdiocese this past November, and represents the thoughts of the pastors, pastoral leaders, parish delegates, and the hundreds of parishioners who participated in the RMC process over the last year.
Here is a sample of comments regarding the RMC summary document shared with the unification team.
- The spirit of the document was divinely inspired and is the spirit of Vatican II
- Great emphasis on Community
- Missionary impulse – evangelize all people, not just those currently in our parishes
- Light of justice
- Accompaniment is important
- We see a hopeful future
On more pragmatic issues, we discussed how we can shepherd our existing parishes from the reality of the past to this new reality and we landed on the following.
- On the weekend of June 18-19, a member of the unification team will provide an update at each Mass in our parish communities, Saint Giles and Saint Catherine – Saint Lucy. This will also take place for the Ascension and Saint Edmund parishes as well. It is our hope to begin to share the RMC Summary Document so that it can be read, discussed, and ground us all in the same spirit intended in the document.
- We are also planning MASS and MEETS for the summer months to enable parishioners from Saint Giles to visit Saint Catherine – Saint Lucy and vice versa.
- At this time, we decided Mass times will remain as they are in both locations for now.
- The unification team will meet again on June 20, July 23, and August 15. We will continue to update you on our progress as we, and our blended parish councils, meet during the summer months.
Like the disciples at Pentecost, we are coming to see that the Spirit is acting powerfully through our lives today. We are a bit stunned by what is happening and it will take time to process and figure out all the details.
Today, we celebrate another great Feast of the Church, The Most Holy Trinity. Jesus hints at a deep friendship with the Father and the Spirit in today’s readings. This Divine friendship is also meant to be ours. What encouragement that is for us all to remember as we travel into the “Building a New Reality” aspect of RMC.
Have a great week ahead. Be safe and stay well.
With you a Christian. For you a priest.
Fr. Carl Morello – Pastor of St. Giles Parish
